Have you wondered how historically accurate Hamilton is?
As someone who was lucky enough to catch a live performance of this musical, I joined a long list of Hamilfans who couldn’t stop raving about the intricacy of the set, the captivating choreography and complexity of the music. Now, over the weekend, people around the world have gotten Hamilton fever as the incredible musical has finally hit streaming services. It’s a huge moment: this musical went from being the most exclusive musical on Broadway to becoming the most accessible musical in half a decade.
We spoke about Hamilton on this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
Now that you’re watching the PG-version of the musical, learning all the songs and are eagerly awaiting the production to hit Sydney, you’re probably wondering, how historically-accurate is Hamilton? Well, we’re here to tell you all the answers.
As far as the major plot events are concerned, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical holds up pretty well. It is true that Aaron Burr and Hamilton were really bigtime rivals, Angelica Schuyler and the Hamilton flirted endlessly (and via letters), Hamilton did have an affair with Maria Reynolds and Eliza Schuyler devoted the most of her life to maintain her husband’s legacy. So overall, not bad.
But, having said this, there are many moments in the musical which deviate from historical accuracy for dramatic effect and Lin-Manuel Miranda knows this.
In an interview with The Atlantic, Lin-Manuel Miranda said, “I felt an enormous responsibility to be as historically accurate as possible, while still telling the most dramatic story possible… When I did part from the historical record or take dramatic license, I made sure I was able to defend it to Ron (Chernow, the author of ‘Alexander Hamilton’), because I knew that I was going to have to defend it in the real world. None of those choices are made lightly.”
As for the moments in this musical that aren’t historically accurate, let’s dig in.
Hamilton: The Abolitionist?
While Alexander Hamilton is very much portrayed as an abolitionist in the musical, there is some evidence to suggest this is an exaggerated view of his politics on the matter.
Sure, Hamilton did attack Thomas Jefferson’s racist views but Annette Gordon-Reed (a professor of history of law at Harvard) told The New York Times that Hamilton’s record shows little action against slavery. Also, according to a variety of historians, Hamilton propped up several slaveholders as presidential candidates, on top of his father-in-law owning slaves. There is even speculation that Hamilton may have owned at least two slaves himself.
The Reynolds Pamphlet
Okay, so when the Reynolds Pamphlet comes out in the musical, it’s one hell of a dramatic moment. For this scene, we’re discussing the moment that Hamilton admits to cheating on his wife and sending finances to keep the affair a secret. In the musical Jefferson, Aaron Burr and James Madison confront Hamilton (who are main characters in the musical), only it wasn’t those people who confronted Hamilton at all, it was actually House Speaker Frederick Muhlenberg, Rep. Abraham Venable of Virginia and future President James Monroe. There you go.
Hamilton’s First Meeting With Burr
Kicking the musical off after the fourth-wall-break of an opening number is the meeting between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, sir. But, according to Miranda, this was a “fictional first meeting.” Marquis de Lafayette, who was in the scene, could not have met Hamilton that early as he was not in America when Hamilton arrived. Also, the punching-of-the-bursar line was also a historical leap. But, hey, it made for a great rhyme!
Angelica Schuyler’s Characterisation
Angelica Schuyler may boast, “My father has no sons so I’m the one who has to social climb for one.” in ‘Satisfied’ but that isn’t actually true. Angelica Schuyler had not one, but several brothers. Also, when these two met, Angelica Schuyler was married already and yet, they continued to flirt. Now if that isn’t history tea, we don’t know what is.
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